MEP Wouter Beke (PPE) has submitted a parliamentary question to the European Commission, urging it to clarify the status of equivalence mechanisms for the French High Environmental Value (HVE3) certification and to take swift action to prevent market disruption for non-French producers. The question, filed on 4 May 2026, follows up on an earlier written question (E-000219/2026) and highlights that French customers are already de facto requiring full EGalim compliance, excluding foreign producers who lack an equivalent HVE3 certificate.
Beke's question references the Commission's reply of 10 March 2026, which stated that it would pursue exchanges with French authorities over the absence of an implementing decree. However, the MEP notes that on 8 April 2026, the French Minister for Agriculture presented a draft law proposing that CE2 (Level 2) certification be accepted in public catering until 2029, raising questions about equivalence.
The question contains three concrete asks: the outcome of consultations with French authorities on an equivalence mechanism for HVE3; confirmation that the proposed postponement implies acceptance of CE2 as equivalent until 2029; and specific steps the Commission will take to find a swift solution, with a timeframe. The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks, and its answer will signal its policy direction on internal market barriers and agricultural certification standards.
Stakeholders impacted include non-French EU agricultural producers, who face de facto exclusion from the French market; French customers and distributors, who may face supply constraints; and EU regulatory bodies, which must balance national environmental certification schemes with single market principles. The question reflects a tension between national environmental ambitions and the free movement of goods, with potential economic damage for producers unable to obtain equivalent certification.